tobi fashion

SO it is now March, the month of my birthday (Woohoo!) although let’s hold back on the excitement… I am on ‘the other side’ of my twenties.

It’s a weird one; one moment you are young and free, without a care in the world – next you’re wondering where the time went and what you have to call your own.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are PLENTY of things that I have done in my life which I am incredibly proud of… But I wish that life would just hold the brakes a while longer before it all gets a little too serious?

There is HUGE stigma around age (especially for women) on how you should hit certain life goals by a certain time (which is all a little bit b*llocks TBH but it’s still something that is very much set in people’s minds).

So after having a little moment, I decided to sit down and write a letter to the younger version of myself. Now that I am a tad wiser than the twenty-something girl that I was back in the day, I thought I’d share a few pointers and let her know that it’ll all be ok.

It will take you a long time to find out who you are… In fact, you’ll already know; it’ll just take time for you to share that with the world.

The adventures, the connections, the heartbreak and the laughter will mould you into the strong, crazy lady that you are today.

You still won’t know WHAT THE HELL you want to do in life, although you will find out what your true passion is… You will take many paths; some being lessons, others just being a whole lot of fun. Where as other moments will really take you back and make you think long and hard.

You’ll spend many years, being ‘too nice’ to people who will take you for granted, in work and in love. However, this is not necessary a bad thing. You need to learn that others do not always think the same as you. Sometimes it is best to see the worst of those around to really appreciate the good that is in your life.

Do not take anyone else for granted.

“See you tomorrow/next week/next month.” A statement said daily, to many people. Sometimes, life doesn’t go the way we want it to. Don’t wait for someone to take that first step – don’t be frightened to say it how it is, and please don’t forget to tell that person you love them to the moon and back. Regretting something you said is far better than the regret of never getting to show them your true heart; imagine that they will never know what your real intentions were? Imagine them not being able to listen to your voice again?

You will become very honest and open about what’s on your mind, don’t fret; life is too short to wonder ‘what if’ because they never knew your person, and life is too short to let someone pass without ever hearing the words ‘I love you so dearly, my darling.’

It took a while for you to find your true joy in life.

You never thought that first half marathon you had booked back in 2013 would lead you to running four full marathons eventually, did you, hey?

Take chances, push boundaries, do the things that you’d never thought would ever cross your mind.

The fun doesn’t stop there… You plan to run MANY more races, each one meaning something special to you. It doesn’t get easier, you just learn to cope; Which is not a bad thing, as you need to be forever hungry for more. Continue to push your body to the limit, taking on greater challenges until you can no longer breath.

Go out in that short-ass dress, take the spontaneous trip away from the city, call your loved ones a hell of a lot more, tell that guy to ‘do one‘ and sing from the rooftops whilst drunk on cheap, red wine… Because moments like these will remind you that life is for living.

Don’t listen to the person that brings you down, but spend more time with the ones that tell you that you’re beautiful; the ones that will take a second to call you back – or even have your best friend be the one to bin off their love interest for the evening, just to come to your aid, so you can cry over that shot of tequila in some back-end bar.

Know your worth; take life by the balls and stand up to the BS that it may give us from time to time… laugh your hardest at the most stupid of jokes and take that step towards another experience, even though it scares the sh*t out of you.

Do not hold your breath for another second longer, instead, breath in long and hard, then exhale… Open your eyes to the beauty, the ugly and the extraordinary. The cards will fall to the table, and sometimes you’ll have that luck, and sometimes you’ll lose it all. Although I can assure you that you will already have the winnings behind you; family, friends, and your health for a start.

The important things in life are the ones that make you smile on a daily basis. The choices are there to make, so please make the most of whatever is handed over to you, for this opportunity could just go to waste.